Four riser heating and cooling unit

ABSTRACT

A heating and cooling unit for a multistory building, including an elongated housing containing a fan for circulating air through the housing, and two heat exchangers longitudinally disposed in the housing. Each heat exchanger includes two risers extending for the length of the housing and adapted for connection to the risers of corresponding units located on adjacent floors to form continuous flow circuits for heat exchange fluids through the heat exchangers. The air is directed through the housing in a path passing over one of the heat exchangers, or in a path passing over the other of the heat exchangers.

I United States Patent [191 1111 3,765,478 I Whalen Oct. 16, 1973 [54] FOUR RISER HEATING AND COOLING 3,074,477 l/l963 Whalen 165/50 UNIT [76] Inventor: James J. Whalen, Clarkson Dr., Pr'mary Examme' Manue1 Amonakas Fulton 20759 Attorney-Joseph M. Lane et a1.

[22] Filed: May 1, 1972 l [57] ABSTRACT [21] Appl. No.: 248,806

A heating and cooling unit for a multistory building, including an elongated housing containing a fan for U-S. Cl. -circulating air through the housing and two heat ex. [51] Int. Cl. F25b 29/00 changers longitudinally disposed in the housing. Each of Search 22, 26, 27, heat exchanger includes two risers extending for the 165/505 96, 101; 251/228 298 length of the housing and adapted for connection to the risers of corresponding units located on adjacent Reiefemes Cited floors to form continuous flow circuits for heat ex- UNITED STATES PATENTS change fluids through the heat exchangers. The air is 3,685,575 8/1972 HCnl'lOl 165/50 x directed through the housing in a P Passing Over 3,394,754 7/1968 Schneeberg et al. 165/27 x one of the at hangers, or in a path passing over 2,828,110 3/l958 Baker et al. .L. l65/l6 the other of the heat exchangers. 2,884,767 5/1959 Ritter et al.... 165/27 X 3,612,164 10/1971 Miner 165/22 11 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 3,428,116 2/1969 Lybrook 165/26 3.765.478 SHEET 10? 2 PATENTEUUCT 16 I975 FIG it... h

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PATENTEDUCT 18 I975 SHEET 2 BF '2 w r u F 4. 15115 2 1 FOUR RISER HEATING AND COOLING UNIT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION are provided in the various rooms and are connected.

with a main flow circuit which includes either water heating apparatus or water cooling apparatus or both.

The heating or cooling apparatus raises or reduces the temperature of the water and a suitable pump forces the water into the main flow circuit and through the heat exchange unit, after which it is returned to the apparatus for either heating or cooling.

The majority of these types of systems usually require I several horizontally extending conduits to connect each heat exchanger to the main flow circuit which adds to the materials cost of the system. Also, the labor required to make the necessary connections is an additional expense.

In the type of system in which two risers are used, the system must be manually converted from a heating mode to a cooling mode, or vice versa, at the appropriate time of the year. This requires the entire system to be shut down and the use of a skilled operator to effect the change, and, of course, makes it impossible for some of the individual units in the system to be used in one mode and other units used in the other mode at the same time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a package heat exchange unit which can be easily installed in a building with a minimum of pipe fitting and labor.

A further object of the present invention is to provide such a unit in which its operational mode can be changed without shutting down the entire system, without the need for a skilled operator, and independent of the particular mode of other units in the system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the heating and cooling unit of the present invention;

FIGS. 2-4 are sectional views taken along theline 2-2 of FIG. 1, 3-3 of FIG. 2, and 4-4 of FIG. 2, respectively, and;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the damper-hinge connection employed in the unit of th present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring specifically to FIG. 1, the heating and cooling unit of the present invention is shown in general by the reference numeral and comprises an elongated housing 12 adapted to extend from the floor to the ceiling of the room in which it is mounted. The front wall of the housing 12 has two elongated openings at the lower and upper portion thereof to receive an air intake grill l4 and an air outlet grill 16, respectively. A thermostat 17 is mounted in the front wall of the housing for controlling the operation of the unit in a manner to be described in detail.

Referring to FIGS. 2-4, a transverse horizontal partition 18 is mounted in the housing 12 in any known manner near the bottom portion thereof and divides the housing into an upper and lower compartment. The partition 18 is equal to the shape of the cross-section of the housing 12 with the exception that the upper right section of the partition, as viewed in FIG. 2, is cut out in order to provide a fan discharge opening shown by the reference numeral 20.

The lower compartment defined by the partition 18 contains a drain pan 22 resting on the floor of the housing 12 and a scroll fan 24 mounted immediately below the partition. The scroll fan 24 is of the conventional type which draws air axially in both ends thereof and forces it tangentially through an outlet 24a which re gisters with the discharge opening 20. For further details I of the drain pan 22 and the scroll fan 24, including the manner in which the latter is mounted in the housing, reference is made to applicants copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 854,038, filed on Aug. 29, 1969, and assigned to same assignee as the present invention, the disclosure of this application hereby being incorporated by reference.

Three vertically extending partitions 26, 28, and 30 extend from the partition 18 to the upper portion of the housing 12 to further compartmentalize the housing. The partition 26 extends parallel to the front wall of the housing 12 and is located immediately adjacent the fan discharge opening 20 while the partition 28 is connected to the partition 26 and extends perpendicular thereto. The partition 30 extends in a parallel, spaced relation to the partition 28, and is slotted for reasons that will be explained in detail.

The partitions 28 and 30 along with a side wall of the housing 12 define two longitudinally extending compartments, each of which contains a riser heat exchanger shown in general by the reference numerals 32 and 34. The-heat exchanger 32 comprises two vertically extending, spaced risers 35 and 36 which extendthe entire length of the housing with their ends projecting therefrom slightly as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The upper portions of the risers 35 and 36 are supported by means of a horizontally extending partition 38 which is secured in the housing 12 near the upper end thereof.

A plurality of rectangular, spaced plates 40 extend over the risers 35 and 36 with openings provided in the plates to receive the risers. The plates 40 extend for the entire length of the compartment defined between the partitions l8 and 38 in order to perform a heat exchange function that will be described in detail.

In a similar manner, the heat exchanger 34 comprises two vertically extending risers 42 and 44 arranged and mounted in a similar manner as the risers 35 and 36. A plurality of rectangular spaced plates 46 are mounted over the risers 42 and 44 and extend from the partition 18 to the partition 38. A drain riser 47 is disposed adjacent the plates 46 with the latter being notched to accommodate the riser. The riser 47 extends for the entire length of the housing to provide a draining function as will be described in detail.

The unit 10 is designed for installation in a multistory building and the portions of the risers 35, 36, 42, 44, and 47 which project from the upper and lower ends of i the housing 12 are of a precise predetermined length to enable them to be directly connected to corresponding risers of identical units formed on floors of the building adjacent to the floor in which the unit is mounted. The connections would most likely be made in bores formed in the floor (or ceiling) of the particular rooms involved, with the connections being made in any conventional manner such as by tubular dual coupling devices, etc.

A relatively narrow, substantially U-shaped wall 50 is provided adjacent the partition 30 to define an enclosure for receiving an insulating material 52 for providing insulation between the two heat exchangers 32 and 34.

A thermostatically controlled damper assembly 54 is pivotally mounted relative to the partition 30 by means of a hinge 56. The hinge 56 is of a continuous flexible material, such as plastic, and is attached to the partition 30 and to the damper assembly 54 to enable the latter to move between the two positions shownby the solid lines and by the dotted lines in FIG. 2..

The damper assembly 54 is shown in detail in FIG. 5 in the position shown by the solid linesin FIG. 2, and comprises an elongated, relatively thin, blade'58 having two spaced crimps extending for the length thereof in order to receive a substantially U-shaped support member 60. The latter member extends across the blade 58 and for the entire length thereof to impart a rigidity to the blade since the latter is preferably formed of a relatively flexible sheet metal material. The hinge 56 extends over a portion of one face of the partition 30 and of the blade 58, for their entire lengths, and may be attached to each in any conventional manner, such as by the use of staples or the like.

The width of the damper assembly 54 is slightly greater than the distance between the end of the partition 30 and the rear surface of the front wall of the housing 12 in order to firmly seat in the position shown by the solid lines in FIG. 2 and thus prevent air flow through the heat exchanger 32. The width of the damper assembly 54 also substantially corresponds to the distance between the two partitions 28 and 30 so that when the assembly is moved to the position shown by the dotted lines it prevents air flowthrough the heat spaced fixed elements in response to temperature variations. Upon the movable element contacting one fixed element, the motor 62 is actuated to move the damper assembly 54 to the position shown by the solid lines in FIG. 2. Upon the movable element contacting the other fixed element the motor moves the damper assembly 54 to the position shown by the dotted-lines in FIG. 2.

risers connected thereto in the units on adjacent floors, and is returned by the riser 36 and its corresponding risers. For example, if the cooling system is provided on the top of the building, a pump would be provided to I on the building, with the heated water being passed The thermostat can also be electrically connected to from the heating system through the riser 42 and its corresponding risers, and in a return path from the riser 44 and its corresponding risers, to the heating system.

In operation, and assuming the temperature in the individual room in which the unit 10 is installed drops from a relatively high value to a predetermined relatively low value, the movable element of the thermostat 17 will make contact with one of the fixed elements 7 thus actuating the motor 62 which moves the damper assembly 54 to the position shown by the solid lines in FIG. 2. As a result, air will be drawn into the inlet grill l4, and into the fan 24 whereby it is circulated from the fan discharge opening 20 through the hot heat exchanger 34 and is heated before passing out the outlet grill 16. Air flow is prevented over the cold heat exchanger 32 by virtue of the blocked flow path provided by the damper assembly 54. In the event the movable element of the thermostat releases from the above mentioned fixed element, the fan 24 will be turned off until the movable element again touches the latter fixed element.

If the temperature in the room rises to a point that the movable element moves over to the other fixed element, the fan 24 will be turned on and the damper motor 62 will move the damper assembly 54 to the position shown by the dotted lines in FIG. 2. In this position the damper assembly 54 blocks the flow of air through the hot heat exchanger 34 and permits the flow of air from the fan discharge opening 20 through the ,slotted partition 30, and through the cold heat exchanger 32 whereby the air is cooled before passing through the outlet 16 and back into the room. The cooling of the room to a predetermined temperature will cause the movable element of the thermostat to release from the fixed element and thus terminate the fan operation.

The drain pan 22 serves to collect condensation caused by the heat exchange occurring in the housing, it being understood that the drain pipe 47 is notched in the vicinity of the pan so that excess condensation is transferred through the latter pipe and its corresponding pipes to a central drain, preferably located in the basement of the building. As stated above, further details of this drain system are set forth in the cited application.

It is thus seen that the present invention can easily be installed in a building with a minimum of pipe fitting and labor by virtue of the vertically extending risers. Also, the individual unit in the building can be individually controlled by regulating the thermostat associated with each unit without the need for a skilled operator, and independent of the particular mode of other units in the system.

Of course, variations of the specific construction and arrangement of the unit disclosed above can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A unit for heating or cooling air in a multistory building comprising a housing having an air inlet and an air outlet, an air cooling heat exchanger and an air heating heat exchanger disposed in said housing, each of said heat exchangers including two vertically extending risers extending for the length of said housing for direct connection to the risers of corresponding units located on adjacent floors of said building to form a continuous flow circuit for a relatively cool heat exchange fluid including said air cooling heat exchanger and a continuous flow circuit for a relatively warm heat exchange fluid including said air heating heat exchanger, circulating means in said housing for drawing ambient air into said inlet, and means in said housing for selectively directing the flow of air through said housing in a path passing over said air cooling heat exchanger, or in a path passing over said air heating heat exchanger, said circulating means being adapted to discharge said air through said outlet.

2. The unit of claim 1 wherein said directing means comprises damper means movable between a first position in which it directs air in one of said paths and a second position in which it directs air in the other of said paths.

3. The unit of claim 2 further comprising thermostat means responsive to temperature in said room for controlling said movement of said damper means.

4. The unit of claim 3 wherein said thermostat means also controls the operation of said fan in each position of said damper means.

5. The unit of claim 2 wherein said damper means comprises a damper blade constructed of a relatively flexible material and means connected to said blade for stiffening said blade.

6. The unit of claim 5 wherein said damper blade is constructed of a sheet metal material.

7. The unit of claim 1 wherein each of said heat exchangers further comprises a plurality of plates extending over said risers to perform a heat exchange function between said heat exchange fluid and said air.

8. The unit of claim 5 further comprising insulating means extending between said heat exchangers.

9. The unit of claim 2 further comprising a plurality of partitions disposed in said housing, and means for pivotally mounting said damper means on one of said partitions, said damper means engaging a wall of said housing in said first positionand another of said partitions in said second position.

10. The unit of claim 9 wherein said means for pivotally mounting said damper means comprises a continuous flexible hinge member extending for substantially the entire length of said damper means.

11. The unit of claim 1 wherein the length of said housing is substantially equal to the height of the room in which it is mounted. 

1. A unit for heating or cooling air in a multistory building comprising a housing having an air inlet and an air outlet, an air cooling heat exchanger and an air heating heat exchanger disposed in said housing, each of said heat exchangers including two vertically extending risers extending for the length of said housing for direct connection to the risers of corresponding units located on adjacent floors of said building to form a continuous flow circuit for a relatively cool heat exchange fluid including said air cooling heat exchanger and a continuous flow circuit for a relatively warm heat exchange fluid including said air heating heat exchanger, circulating means in said housing for drawing ambient air into said inlet, and means in said housing for selectively directing the flow of air through said housing in a path passing over said air cooling heat exchanger, or in a path passing over said air heating heat exchanger, said circulating means being adapted to discharge said air through said outlet.
 2. The unit of claim 1 wherein said directing means comprises damper means movable between a first position in which it directs air in one of said paths and a second position in which it dirEcts air in the other of said paths.
 3. The unit of claim 2 further comprising thermostat means responsive to temperature in said room for controlling said movement of said damper means.
 4. The unit of claim 3 wherein said thermostat means also controls the operation of said fan in each position of said damper means.
 5. The unit of claim 2 wherein said damper means comprises a damper blade constructed of a relatively flexible material and means connected to said blade for stiffening said blade.
 6. The unit of claim 5 wherein said damper blade is constructed of a sheet metal material.
 7. The unit of claim 1 wherein each of said heat exchangers further comprises a plurality of plates extending over said risers to perform a heat exchange function between said heat exchange fluid and said air.
 8. The unit of claim 5 further comprising insulating means extending between said heat exchangers.
 9. The unit of claim 2 further comprising a plurality of partitions disposed in said housing, and means for pivotally mounting said damper means on one of said partitions, said damper means engaging a wall of said housing in said first position and another of said partitions in said second position.
 10. The unit of claim 9 wherein said means for pivotally mounting said damper means comprises a continuous flexible hinge member extending for substantially the entire length of said damper means.
 11. The unit of claim 1 wherein the length of said housing is substantially equal to the height of the room in which it is mounted. 